Duplicating mechanism for type-writers.



E. F. MUMM.

DUPLICATING MECHMHSM FOR TYPE WRITERS.' APPLICATION FILED JULY 8.191'5.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

E. F. MUIVIM.

DUPLICATING MECHANISIVI FOR TYPE WRITERS.

APPLICATION FILED IULY 5.1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented May14, 1918.

EDWARD F. MUMM', OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

DUPLICATIN G MECHANISM FOR-TYPE-WRI'1EBS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 8, 1915. Serial No. 38,732.

f typewriters, it should be understood that it may alsobe applied to various other machines. v

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved attachment for typewriters and the like by means of which a pluralityof writings may be made simultaneously without the use of carbon paper.

Another object is to provide a duplicating attachment which may be readily applied to standard machines without altering the construction thereof.

Another object is to provide an attachment which will not interfere with the ordinary operation of the machine or detract from the appearance thereof.

A further object is to provide an attachment which will permit the easy and rapid insertion of paper into the writing machine.

A further object is to provide a simple, compact, efficient and inexpensive duplicating attachment for typewriters.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an embodiment of the invention. The views of the drawings are as follows:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the upper part of a typewriter with an attachment applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a partial cross section and side elevation showing the means for actuating the ribbon reels. y

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the attachment.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modified form of attachment in which a plurality of ribbons are employed.

Theattachment comprises in veneral a pair of supports 1 and 2, a sha 3 journaled in the supports, 'arms-4 and 5 carried.

. by the shaft, ribbon reels 6 and .7 on said arms, a supplementary printing 'ribbon 8 and. actuating means 9 for the reels.

The supports 1 and 2 are formed sov that they may be secured to the carriage of a standard machine without requiring alterations in the structure thereof. In the present instance the supports are securedto the carriage adjacent the ends of the platen 10 by means of screws 11 as shown at the left hand end of Fi 1. The outer ends ofthe supports form earings 12 and 13 for the shaft 3.

The arms 4 and 5 are fixed to the shaftB, which in turn is journaled in the bearings 12 and 13. These arms may be of any 'suitable shape. are stamped out of sheet metal and formed in the shape of housings which support the reels 6 and 7 and inclose the mechanism for actuating the reels. Extensions 14 and 15 are provided which formv suitable guides for supporting the supplementary ribbon adjacent the printin line of the platen.

The reels upon which the ribbon is wound are journaled in the arms as shown. The. periphery of each reel is provided withv teeth' which coperate with a pawl mechanism hereinafter described.

The supplementary printing ribbon extends from one of the reels over the end 0f extension, 14 across the machineand over the end of extension 15 to the other reel.v

By positively actuating one of the reels, the ribbon is moved lengthwise of the platen In the present instance they;y

Patented May 14, 1918.

of the -machine to present new surfaces from time toV time and thereby prevent excessive wear on the ribbon at any one spot.

The actuating means for' the reels comprises a pawl and ratchet mechanism shown 4most clearly in Fig. 2. A pawl 16 is-ixed toa shaft 17 journaled in the support 2. Pivoted to this pawl by 'means of pivot 18 is a second pawl 19 having a pm 20l cooperating with the pawl 16 and having an end 21 adapted to coperate with the teeth on the edge of the reel 7. A spring 22 having one end bearing upon the support 2 and the other end engaging the pin 20 acts to normally keep the pawls in inoperative position.

Til@J shaft 17, which is journaal in thel support 2,eXtends to a suitable point approximately midway between the supports 1 and 2, and fastened to said shaft near the end thereof is a cani arm 23 which coperates with a stationary cam 24 mounted on the body'of the typewriter. The cam arm 23 strikes the cam 24 when the carriage of the typewriter is moved, and thereby causes the shaft 17 t6 turn which movement swings the outer end of the pawl 16 upwardly causing it to force the pawl 19 into engagement with the teeth on the edge of the reel 7, rotating thev reel through a small aro.

When the carriage is returned to its origi-4 nal position the spring 22 returns the pawl and the actuating shaft to original position. The pawl 16 is provided with a stop 25 which engages the support 2 to limit the backward movement of the pawl.

This construction and location of actuating mechanism has been found very efficient and practical. The force for rotating the reel is applied in a horizontal direction on the under side of the reel so that there is no tendency for the arms to tilt upwardly and thereby remove the ribhbn from the printing line when the reels are actuated.

A brake 26 is provided comprising a bell crank lever pivoted to the sides of the arm 5 and biased into engagement with the teeth lof the reel 7 by means of a spring 27 the tension of which is adjustable by means of a nut 28. The brake regulates the movement of the reel and prevents overrunning thereof.

The actuating mechanism for the reel 6 is similar to the mechanism hereinbefore described for actuating reel 7. An actuating shaft 29 is journaled in the support 1 for actuating a pawl which coperates ith teeth on the reel 6.

The cam arm 23 is adapted to be moved from one of the actuating shafts to the other so that when it is desired to reverse the di rection of travel of the ribbon it is merely necessary to shift the cam arm from one shaft to the other.

A handle 30 is xed to the shaft 3 by means of which the shaft may be turned and the arms 4 and 5 swung upwardly to remove the printing ribbon from the printing line to facilitate the insertion of paper into the typewriter. The fit of shaft 3 in the bearings 12 and 13 is such that the arms will remain in the position to which they may be moved. Of course other means may be provided for causing the arms to remain in any position to which they are moved.

A pair of supplementary fingers 31 and 32 may be provided for assisting in holding the paper adjacent the platen. These fingers are not always necessary, but they may be found useful in some circumstances.

1 The operation of the attachment is as folows:

The arms 4 and 5 are moved upwardly by means of pressure applied to the handle 30 and the paper is inserted in the machine in the usual manner. Two copies in addition to the original may be made with the attachment shown. The middle sheet of paper should be of transparent material since the impression thereon will be reversed and must be read through the paper. After the paper is placed in the machine the arms-4 and 5 carrying the supplementary printing ribbon are swung downwardly with the supplementary ribbon between the two sheets of paper back of the first sheet. The paper is thus in the machine with the main printing ribbon in front of the first sheet and' with the supplementary printing ribbon between the two other sheets so that' when the type strikes the printing'line the main ribbon leaves an impression on the first sheet and the supplementary ribbon causes an impression to be made on both the other sheets. Three original impressions are thus made at the same time.

As the machine is operated and the carriage travels backl and forth the cam arm 23 strikes the stationary cam 24 and actuates one of the reels 6 or 7 to move the supplementary ribbon lengthwise of the platen to present new surfaces thereof at the point where the type strikes and thus avoid unequal wear upon the ribbon.

If an erasure becomes necessary it can be easily made by simply raising the arms 4 and 5 thereby removing the supplementary printing ribbon and leaving the paper free for application of the eraser. When the erasure is completed the arms are again swung into position and the work continued as before.

If no copies are desired, the arms 4 and 5 may be moved to their uppermost'position and allowed to remain in said position. The supplementary printing ribbon is thus supported in inoperative position, where it will not interfere with the ordinary opera.- tion of the machine.

The number of supplementary printing ribbons may be multiplied to correspond with the number of copies desired. Fig. 4 illustrates a modification in which two supplementary ribbons are supported adjacent the platen. In this modication two arms, each carrying av reel, are provided on each support. The arms are similar in construction to those previously described and the reels are actuated by the same type o-f pawl and ratchet mechanism. Each set of arms is movable independently of the other so that either one or both of the ribbons may be used as desired. One way o-f accomplishing this result is to mount one set of reels on a shaft 3 and to mount the other set of reels on a sleeve 33 surrounding the shaft 3. Handles `30 and 34 are provided for the shaft and sleeve respectively for actuatin them. Of course the two sets of arms coulv be made to move together if desired.

This attachment may be easily applied to standard machines by simply mounting supports l and 2 adjacent the ends of the platen yof the machine and fastening said supports in position by means of screws or other suitable devices. The cam .24 may be easily fixed to the frame of the machine and the attachment is then ready for operation. The exact form of the supports 2 and 3 may be varied to suit the different types of machines so that attachments may be provided which may be readily applied to any machine.

It will thus be seen that a simple and efficient duplicating attachment has beenprovided by means of which a plurality of copies may be simultaneously written on a typewriter without the use of carbon paper. The attachment may be readily applied to any machine without altering the construction thereof. N o additional, complicated, built-in parts are required. The attachment is simple and inexpensive and at the same time eiicient and practical in operation. It is neat and compact and therefore does not interfere with the ordinary operation of the machine or detract from the appearancethereof. Being mounted upon the i front of the machine, it is readily accessible and easily manipulated and therefore does not interfere with a rapid operation of the machine. The ready accessibility makes repairs and ribbon renewals comparatively simple. It has been found that the paper may be inserted in the machine and the ribbon placed in position in much Shorter time `than it takes to place carbons between each sheet of paper and then place the paper in the machine in the ordinary manner. Moreover the copies produced by this attachment are clean-cut, clear and original copies. The smutting of the paper by carbons is avoided. The expense incident to the use of carbon vpaper is likewise avoided.

Erasures may be more easily made, and there is less liability of soiling the paper during the erasure since there is no carbon paper to soil the hands of the operator or to inadvertently rub against portions of the paper.

It should be understood that the structure disclosed herein is for purposes of illustration only, and that other structures may be devised which embody the invention and which come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A duplicating attachment for typewriters and the like applicable to standard machines Without altering the construction thereof, comprising supporting means adapted to be readily applied to the carriage of a machine in a iXed position, means the printing line 'of the platen of the machine and meansv coperating with said reels for automatically moving the ribbon lengthwise of the platen.

2. A duplicating attachment for typewriters and the like adapted to be applied to standard machines without altering the construction thereof, comprising supports adapted to be secured to the carriage and project forwardly therefrom, arms pivoted to said supports, and a supplementary printing ribbon supported by said arms adjacent the printing line of the platen, said arms being readily movable so that the printing ribbon may be removed from the printing line for the purpose described.

3. A duplicating attachment for typewriters and the like adapted to be applied to standard machines without valtering the construction thereof, comprising a supporting frame adapted to be readily mounted on the'carriage of a machine in av fixed position, means pivoted to said frame for movably supporting a supplementary printing ribbon adjacent the printing line of the platen so that the4 ribbon may be moved bodily away from the printing line, a 95 plurality of ribbon'reels carried by said means and means actuated by the movement of the carriage for automatically moving the ribbon lengthwise. A

4. A duplicating attachment adapted to 100 be appliedto 'standard typewriters withoutaltering the construction thereof comprising supporting means readily mountable on the carriage of the machine and projecting in a fixed position forwardly f automatically moving Ithe ribbon lengthwise of the operated. V 5. A duplicating attachment for typewriters and the like adapted to be applied to standard machines without altering the construction thereof comprising supports readily mountable in a fixed position on the carriage of a machine, arms pivoted to said supports carrying ribbon reels and supporting a supplementary printing ribbon adjacent the printing lines 'of the platen, means for moving said arms to remove the ribbon from the printing line without disturbing the supports and means for automatically actuating the ribbon reels to move the vribbon lengthwise of the platen.

platen as the typewriter is 6.' A duplicating attachment applicable to 130 standard typewriters and the like without jacent the printing line of the platen so that said ribbons may be moved both lengthwise of the platen and bodily away therefrom.

7. A duplicating attachment for typewriters comprising apair of arms pivoted forwardly of the platen of the machine to in-A dividual supports removably secured adjacent the ends of the platen and adapted to be moved with but not independently of the platen, said arms each carrying a ribbon reel and being arranged to form guides for movably supporting the ribbon ladjacent the printing line. v

8. A duplicating attachment for typewriters comprising a pair of arms pivoted forwardly of the platen of the machine to individual supporting brackets removably secured adjacent the ends ofthe platen, said arms each carrying a ribbon reel and being arranged to form guides for movably supporting the ribbon adjacent the platen and means carried by said brackets for aut0- matically actuating the reels as the typewriter is operated.

9. A duplicating attachment for typewriters applicable to standard machines without altering the construction thereof, comprisf ing alpair of supports adapted to be readily attached to the carriage of a machine near the ends of the platen thereof, a shaft journaled in said supports, means fixed to said shaft carrying a plurality of ribbon reels, said means having arms projecting therefrom over which a supplementary printing ribbon is passed andv thereby movably supported adjacent the printing line pf the.

platen, means for automatically actuating the reels to move the ribbon lengthwise of the platen and means for readily turning said shaft whereby the supplementary ribbon may be moved from the printing line to facilitate the insertion of paper Ainto the writing machine.

10. A duplicating attachment adapted to be applied to standard typewriters without altering the construction thereof comprising supports readily mountable on the carriage of a machine adjacent the ends of the platen l thereof and projecting forwardly from said platen, a shaft journaled in said supports, arms fixed to said shaft near opposite ends thereof, a ribbon reel carried by each of said arms, a supplementary printing ribbon wound on said reels and supported by said arms adjacent the printing line of the platen,

Lacaoae pawl and ratchet mechanism on said arms adapted to coperate with a cam on the body of the machine to automatically actuatethe reels as the carriage is moved to move the ribbon lengthwise of the platen, said shaft being readily movable whereby the arms may be swung upwardly to remove the ribbon from the printing line to facilitate insertion of paper into the typewriter.

11.A The combination with a typewriter of an attachment adapted to readily be applied thereto comprising supports readily mountable adjacent the ends of the platen of the machine, a shaft journaled in said supports, means on said shaft carrying ribbon reels and supporting and guiding a supplemen tary printing ribbon wound on said reels adjacent the printing line of the. platen and means carried by said supports coperating with means on the frame of the typewriter for automatically actuating the reels to move the ribbon lengthwise of the platen as the typewriter is operated.

12. A 'duplicating attachment for typewriters comprising a pair of supports adapted to be attached to the carriage of a machine adjacent the ends of the platen thereof land to project forwardly from said platen,

13. An attachmentfor typewriters com-l prising a pair of supports adapted to be attached to the carriage of the machine adjacent the ends of the platen thereof and to project forwardly from said platen, a shaft journaled in said supports, a plurality of arms Xed to said shaft, a ribbon reel carried by each arm, a supplementary printing ribbon wound from a reel on onevside of the machine across guides on the ends of the arms to a reel on the other side of the machine, a second shaft journaled in said supports, a pawl mechanism actuated by said second shaft and coperating with saidreels, an arm on said second shaft adapted to engage a cam on the frame of the machine to operate said shaft to automatically actuate the reels to move the ribbon lengthwise of the platen.

14. A duplicating attachment for typewriters and the like applicable to standard machines without altering the construction thereof, comprising supporting means adapted to be-secured to the carriage of the machine and project forwardly therefrom, ribbon supporting means pivoted tothe forward part of said supporting means and normally projecting rearwardly, said ribbon supporting means being designed to Support a Supplementary printing ribbon adjacent the printing line of the platen and a plurality of ribbon reels carried by said ribbon supporting means.

l5. A duplicating attachment for type-A writers and the like adapted to be applied to standard machines without altering the construction thereof, comprising supports adapted to be secured to the carriage and project forwardly therefrom, arms pivoted to the forward part of said supports and adapted to project rearwardly, and a supplementary printing ribbon normally supported by said arms adjacent the printing line of the platen, said arms being adapted to swing upwardly and forwardly for the purpose described.

16. A duplicating attachment for typewriters and the like comprising ribbon supporting means, means for pivotally supporting said ribbon supporting means forwardly of the platen whereby the ribbon supporting means normally projects rearwardly toward the platen, and a supplementary printing ribbon normally supported by the ribbon supporting means adjacent the printing line of the platen.

17. A duplicating attachment for typewriters comprising ribbon supporting arms, means for pivotally supporting said arms forwardly7 of the platen whereby said arms normally project rearwardly toward the platen, and a supplementary printing ribbon normally supported by said arms adjacent the printing line of the platen, said arms being adapted to swing upwardly and fored to be readily applied to the carriage of the ,machine to be relatively immovable therewith, a plurality of ribbon reels, a plurality of ribbon guides, a frame carrying both the reels and ribbon guides and pivoted to move both the reels and guides in concentric arcs into and out of duplicating position to maintain the tension of the ribbons constant and prevent unwinding when the reels and guides are moved, and means for feeding the ribbon.

19. A duplicating attachment for typewriters and the like comprising two supplementary ribbon reels and supplementary ribbon guides adapted to be attached to the carriage of a standard machine and pivoted to move the supplementary ribbon into and out of duplicating position, independent means for rotating each reel, a shaft for operating each of said means, an arm adapted to be operatively connected to either shaft, and means for actuating said arm upon the return of the carriage to the end of a line of print.

ln witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed 1nyname in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD F. MUMM. l/Vitnesses HENRY F. VoG'r, OSCAR A. KELLER. 

